Carena:I gulped hard, rubbing my eyes in disbelief. My ears were practically buzzing. There's just no way he could whistle when he couldn't even let out a sigh too loud.He stood there shirtless, clad only in black pants. His hair was damp as if he'd just stepped out of the shower, and his abs gleamed as if he'd slicked them with oil, though it must have been water.In one hand, he held a spatula, likely whipping up pancakes. My mind slowly grasped the reality of what I was witnessing. It was truly him, not some figment of my imagination or, should I say, a nightmare.But how?He busted out some little dance moves as he continued to revel in his moment. The tattoo on his back looked even more enchanting against the backdrop of his muscular physique.After blinking repeatedly to confirm that it was indeed him, I found myself at a loss. Should I confront him?No!We were completely alone here, and the way he had everyone fooled made me wonder if confronting him in this moment would be
Carena: "But--" I interrupted his celebration, "I reckon this place means something to him."I awaited his grandpa’s response. He seemed lost in thought after I mentioned that."It does. He always used to vacation here and had mentioned coming here with his mate," Lord Rennick replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.I wouldn't have lied if I hadn't found out that the man I married is a bloody psycho, pretending to be a disabled man."Oh! Maybe that's why," I mumbled, trying to sound a bit distressed. All the while, I kept my eyes on the two from the window, and they were watching me too."Why? What's going on?" As expected, Lord Rennick took the words spoken about his grandson very seriously. I knew this would happen, and thankfully, he followed me to the exact topic of discussion I wanted him to be at."I was wondering why that happened. When we were--doing it--he suddenly lost interest," I bit my tongue between my lips when talking about my sex life with his grandfather."Huh? So
Carena: "What the fuck are you doing? Get off me!" I finally managed to free my mouth, pushing him away and rising from the couch, only to find myself standing alone like a fool with Sawyer still in bed.I was breathing like a bull and sweating too. But tears were what blurred my vision for a moment. "Oh, darn it!" I covered my mouth with my hand and took deep breaths. The nightmare had rattled me so much that my screams woke Sawyer."I'm sorry, it was just a nightmare," I apologised to him, but facing him after the fright was too much, so I dashed into the bathroom to splash water on my face. What a dreadful way to start the day. This wasn't just something I had out of the blue. It rooted from a deep memory of mine but I shook it off the minute i was in the bathroom.After shaking off the trauma of the nightmare and dressing in a black dress, I welcomed Ginny into the room. No wonder Sawyer used the restroom so infrequently; he must have been attending to his business while I slept.
Carena: "‘What did you say?’ my father cut in before us, studying my face intently. As much as I wanted to spill everything I'd been through, I decided not to spoil his peace of mind. It's not like he could fix anything.‘Nothing. We were just chatting about my honeymoon,’ I gave him a forced smile before hurrying to leave. ‘Sawyer must be ready for me to read him a book.’I excused myself and dashed out of the house, feeling foolish for letting slip about Sawyer's fancy footwork. Even though my sister loved me, she wouldn't believe that our alpha king had fooled everyone so smoothly. It seemed like everyone was too hopeful about the young alpha king, the same one who was lying about his condition, probably to avoid taking any responsibility for the pack.Once back at the mansion, I found Sawyer in the garden. Ginny handed me the book after I reached out for it, gesturing for her to leave. I noticed she wasn't as assertive with me here as she was back when we took her with us on our
Carena:The saddest part was that my father and sister left without even being offered any food. I wasn't allowed to walk after them. Lord Rennick had told me to help Sawyer in bed for a nap. I stayed in the dark room with him while he slept peacefully. I'm not even sure if he bought my lie of dreaming about him dancing in the kitchen. He must be too gullible to believe I had such a vivid dream about the antics that he was, in fact, engaging in during our honeymoon. After he woke up, Ginny had to dress him up while I got ready, wearing a knee-length red dress.I didn't insist on taking care of his personal hygiene anymore. I mean, why would I help a guy change into a suit when he can very well do it himself? I scoffed at the idea of it.Tonight, Lord Rennick specifically warned Ginny to stay in the car and not follow us all the way to the beach. She would stick around the car and wait for my call if Sawyer needed any help.Now it was just Sawyer and I reaching the destination."The we
Carena: We returned home late at night, even though we had left the dinner early. I kind of asked the guard for a long ride because I wanted to get home around the time Lord Rennick would already be in bed.I hated every time I met him and he reminded me to have a lot of sex with his grandson.That night, I didn't sleep in the bed with Sawyer again. I stayed on the couch, my phone in my hand, and my eyes on the screen.I debated for a few minutes whether to delete all the memories of my past or just suffer. Did I deserve to suffer?The question was up for debate.Some might say I did, especially my stepsiblings. Even though I had done so much for them, in the end, they looked at me like I was their enemy.And then I remembered Lord Rennick demanding an heir from me. Lady Jane wanted an heir so badly, but then what happened? Finally, when I received the good news, nobody was excited.I still cannot forget Jack's reaction when I first told him I was pregnant.Flashback:"Carena! Can yo
Carena:Ever since Lord Rennick mentioned he'd been invited by Alpha King Jack to his pack, I'd been restless. Lord Rennick mentioned he was considering the treaty.I sat in the room on the couch while Ginny read a book to Sawyer. My phone rested in my hand, dividing my attention between two issues. Firstly, it struck me as odd that the video was no longer on my phone. It seemed as though the video had been removed, leaving me with the complexity of the situation with Jack."Gosh!" I sighed, rubbing my face in my hands as memories of my previous marriage flooded my mind. The torture, the hatred, all my sacrifices, and then the ultimate betrayal. The fact that I struggled to conceive and he discarded the baby as if it wasn't my decision was just brutal.I also knew for a fact that my current in-laws were aware I had been married before, but they never delved into who I was married to. My father told them it was someone from another pack, and they didn't bother to inquire further. It ma
Carena: "Are you alright?" Janine's brow furrowed as she assessed me. I cannot believe I have zoned out again."I'm o--okay," I sniffled, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hands. I was just disappointed that nothing was going well. I didn't even get to record Sawyer lying about his condition."You were lost--," Ginny started, but Janine's stern look silenced her. I was trying to not think about the zone out moment and Ginny kind of ruined it."We've already covered that. But thanks for chiming in," Janine said to her, gesturing for her to stay quiet.So, Ginny shrugged and headed away from Sawyer."By the way, if you keep zoning out, how will you take care of your husband?" Ginny threw a comment in opposition, and my response was an eye roll. She left the room after getting under my skin. I didn't like her and I am sure she hated everyone but Sawyer, and that bothered me for some reason."Don't mind her. She's like that with everyone," Janine said, shaking her head at Ginny's penc
Carena: “I have put them to bed; we’re all set,” Sawyer announced, his shirt disheveled before he quickly straightened it, though he didn’t roll down his sleeves.I gave him a smile and got up from my seat to welcome him. He took the main chair, and I sat down beside him, wearing a beautiful red dress.“You are the best father and husband,” I whispered, leaning over to kiss his cheek while the maid served us food.“You two need to get a room,” Ronan joked, making us smile and turn to him. He looked so happy with Yamin. The two had welcomed twins--a baby girl and a baby boy--last year.“And my brother is truly proving himself to be a good role model too,” Payton added proudly.Lady Jane smiled at her sons, delighted with their perfect lives.“And Payton is taking good care of business,” Louis grinned at her, giving her a wink. I knew something was brewing between the two, and they had recently opened up about it. They were set to get married in two months.I didn’t think there could b
Carena:“What do you mean?” My heart revived even more, my grip tightening around my child.“Kelly, don’t fucking make up stories,” Jack yelled, his fists clenched.“I am not. You fool. You really bought my lie about Carena being so powerful to get pregnant already and then giving birth in seven months. Carena didn’t have a proper sense of date and time because there were days she would sleep without waking up for two days. But you, you knew everything. Yet you didn’t question anything?” Kelly smirked at Jack, who was finally hit with the realization.That’s when my baby let out a little cry and opened his eyes. He had the same eyes as Sawyer.“He is my baby?” Sawyer rushed toward me, taking him from my hands and then smiling, “No wonder I felt such a strong connection.”“No! You did not betray me like that,” Jack yelled, rushing to wrap his hands around Kelly’s neck, but Martin raised his legs and kicked him, making Jack drop back like a pathetic weakling.“How dare you--,” it was as
Carena: After I beat him up, Sawyer handed me my baby while he tied the couple to a tree. I was curious about what he was planning to do.“I am so sorry I got you into this mess,” Kelly cried to Martin, the two tied side by side.“No! If I have to do that again, I will do it. All for you,” the guy was hopelessly in love with her but also an idiot for partaking in her crazy schemes.She was a doctor; if she had remained committed to her job, the two would be living a very good life by now.While the two cried and talked, I held my son and smiled with teary eyes. My baby was perfect. There was no way he was Jack’s child. How could such a beautiful baby belong to that monster?“My perfect child,” I cried happily, rocking my baby in my arms. All these months, not once did I hate my child. I had grown so much in love with my baby that I didn’t understand why and how."Why would you want us dead? You already have your baby and your mate by your side now. Don't you have everything already?"
Carena:He was watching me with so many emotions in his eyes. In that moment, Jack and the others decided to flee because they knew they couldn't fight Sawyer.Jack was so frightened that he didn't even wait to grab me. Instead, he just started running after seizing Kelly.“My son--!” I yelled, but before I could get up, I saw Sawyer gesture for me not to go after them.“They cannot escape the woods.”His confidence made me sit back. But what about my son? What if they hurt him?"Sawyer!" I uttered his name as he deepened his stare into my eyes, filled with nothing but love for me."My love!" He knelt down and instantly pulled me into a warm and comforting embrace."No! Don't touch me before you know my truth." It broke my heart that even after our reunion, I had to keep my distance from him.He needed to understand that I had given birth to Jack's child so he could decide whether he still wanted to be with me. It would shatter my heart if he didn't want to stay with me, but I could n
Sawyer:“Ronan, keep your eyes peeled at the border. Make sure your men remain hidden in dugouts around the portal,” I advised him as we marched away from the entrance. Tonight was the Wolf Moon, and after midnight, I knew Jack would arrive with Carena. Certainly, Jack would use Carena to try to lure us away so that he could cross the portal, but I would jump right in with them. That was the plan.“I have informed my guards not to stop them from enticing the bridge, but do let us know when they arrive,” Ronan confirmed. I didn't want to provoke Jack into attacking Carena out of anger. Of course, he would threaten us with her life when he was surrounded by the warriors.“Yamin is taking care of the roads--” Suddenly, Ronan's voice began to fade. My mind started to wander off, and I knew it wasn’t the first time this had happened. I had felt this before, only when someone stepped into my woods--the woods of which I was king.“They are here.”I closed my eyes, focusing on the whispers of
Carena:“AHHHHH!” My screams had deafened me at this point. The pain was unbearable, and being out in the wild was not helping at all. I was worried for my baby and how giving birth in the wilderness would negatively impact everything. Dr. Kelly had asked Jack and Martin to grab some supplies while she assisted me with the delivery.“Just keep going. I know you can do it,” she said, rubbing a damp cloth over my forehead in an attempt to comfort me, but I was far from comfortable. The open air and sky, combined with the fact that my mate was not with me, broke my heart.“Why can’t we go to a hospital?” I asked, letting out heavy breaths, but the pain kept intensifying.“Because Sawyer must have informed all the hospitals and packs about you and Jack,” she replied. “Besides, we are passing through Sawyer’s pack, so--” The minute she said that, goosebumps covered my body. I looked around and noticed the woods. What the hell!We were in the terrifying part of the woods? The crazy and poss
Carena: Jack was shocked to see the old man confronting him. It seemed like Jack had run out of words.“I don’t know what you are--talking about,” Jack tried to sound normal, but none of the words he uttered came out in a confident tone.His hesitation alone gave him a guilty appearance.I had stepped way back from them while Dr. Kelly ensured she stayed with me."I heard it all. You played me only so you could use my kin to escape the werewolf world--the world where you have messed up so much that you can’t even remain in it anymore,” Vincent finally seemed to have caught on to Jack’s scheme.It took him months and many wasted attempts to open his eyes. But what struck me as odd was that Jack steadily fixed his posture and approached him.For someone who had been caught in a lie by his only support, he was remarkably calm.“I think you’re taking this way too seriously. It’s not that grave of a matter,” he placed his hand on Vincent’s shoulder, but Vincent shrugged it off aggressivel
Carena:"What did you just say?" he asked, a harshness in his voice warning me not to say the wrong thing."Jack lied to you. He told me that if he told you the truth, you would kill me and my baby." I gulped, realizing it could be true. I was taking a risk here. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would have found a way to escape the chains and transition. But that was no longer an option."Huh!" He looked rightfully confused. "You are the reason my poor daughter is dead. Sawyer killed her because of you." Now that we were talking, he started revealing what he truly thought of me.The fact that he claimed Sawyer had killed Tabitha proved that Jack had lied to him about many things."That’s not true. Listen--" I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to admit who was really responsible for Tabitha’s death and the deaths of his other children.His expression grew even harsher as he continued to watch me, waiting for an explanation as to why I believed Jack had been lying."Tabitha did cheat on Ja
Carena:I was heavily pregnant and miserable, but I kept going for the sake of my baby and the hope of seeing Sawyer again one day. I just didn’t know how he would react to the fact that my child belonged to someone else.“You shouldn’t starve yourself,” the maid they had hired for me said, causing me to roll my eyes.I didn’t get along with any of these people.They were all enemies of both me and Sawyer, working for that despicable man.“I’m full,” I sighed. “Before you start lecturing me, I had breakfast less than two hours ago,” I scoffed, irritated.She rolled her eyes and left the hut. We had been on the run—or rather, they had kept me on the run—for months.Every time Sawyer got close, they would pack up and flee again. They’d managed to evade him many times by threatening my life, and of course, Sawyer always relented.“Hey,” Jack entered, having taken care of the food and other necessities for the night. He smiled at me.The mattress I sat on was uncomfortable, lacking the fa